Happiness

CHAPTER SIX

Inside the car, the atmosphere was oddly tense, heavy with unspoken words. Iris sat in the back, engrossed in her phone, her face illuminated by its faint glow. She was playing some game, her fingers gliding effortlessly over the screen. Whatever it was, it seemed to demand all her attention.

Top, on the other hand, seemed completely at ease behind the wheel, his fingers drumming lightly on the steering wheel. The hum of the engine and the faint clicking of Iris’s game were the only sounds filling the space.

“So, Kai,” Top said, his voice cutting through the quiet. “Excited about the new place?”

I shifted in my seat, keeping my gaze fixed on the road ahead. The streetlights zipped by in rhythmic intervals, their glow reflecting off the car’s windshield. “It’s just a place,” I replied evenly.

Top chuckled, shaking his head. “You’re a hard one to impress, huh? Let me guess—you’re the kind of guy who doesn’t get excited about much. Am I right?”

I didn’t answer immediately. A group of teenagers crossed the street ahead, laughing and shouting as they disappeared into an alley. “I just don’t see the point in getting excited about something temporary,” I said finally.

Top laughed again, his grin practically audible. “Man, you’re deep. I like that. Keeps me on my toes.”

From the back seat, Iris sighed softly. The sound was barely audible over the low hum of the engine, but it caught my attention. I glanced at her reflection in the rearview mirror. She hadn’t looked up once since we started driving. Her hood was pulled over her head, and the faint light from her phone painted her face in shades of blue and white.

“Hey, Iris,” Top said, turning slightly to glance at her. “What’s got you so hooked back there?”

“Game,” she replied curtly, not bothering to elaborate.

“What kind of game?”

“Action RPG,” she said after a beat, her tone flat.

Top smirked. “Let me guess—something with dragons, swords, and magic?”

“Close enough,” Iris said, her focus never wavering.

I watched the interplay silently, my gaze flickering between the passing scenery and the dashboard. She didn’t seem unfriendly, exactly, but there was something... off about her presence. Detached, like she was here out of obligation rather than choice.

“Don’t take it personally,” Top said to me, grinning. “She’s like that with everyone. Always in her own little bubble.”

I didn’t respond. It wasn’t my place to comment, but her quiet detachment was unsettling. Why had she come along in the first place? Top had offered to drive me—Iris tagging along felt... unnecessary.

“Hey, at least it’s better than silence, right?” Top continued, trying to lighten the mood. “You and I would’ve been staring out the window in awkward silence if she wasn’t here.”

“We’re still doing that,” I said quietly.

Top burst out laughing, his voice echoing in the confined space. “Fair point, fair point. You’re sharper than you let on.”

Iris sighed again, this time louder, her frustration apparent. “If you two are going to talk about me like I’m not here, at least make it interesting,” she said, her voice sharp but not unkind.

I turned my gaze back to the window, watching as the city grew darker, the glowing signs and headlights painting streaks of light across the landscape. The weight of the evening settled over me—a strange mix of unease and detachment.